


These Things Take Time

by dearzoemurphy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/F, Mostly Fluff, Slight fluff, Slow Burn, but not for a couple more chapters, confusion about feelings, recognition of feelings, slight angst, slight hurt/comfort eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 15:39:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14718884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearzoemurphy/pseuds/dearzoemurphy
Summary: Natasha Romanoff is content with life, going about normal day-to-day Avengers business, which consists of nothing but training at the moment, but she's alright with that. She spends most of her time helping the younger Wanda Maximoff hone her raw strength, which is no easy feat, but Natasha is happy to help. Until the both of them start to make a few unfortunate realizations. Like maybe that twinge in Natasha's gut is jealousy, and maybe Wanda has a thing for women who could kill her a million different ways.Slow burn, post-Age of Ultron, takes place between AOU and Civil War when the six new Avengers are living together in the compound.





	1. bad at love, no, I'm not good at this

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I'm fully submerging myself in Scarlet Widow hell and trying the multi-chapter fic format again, hoping this works this time since I'm actually extremely inspired right now.

  
“You're doing great Wanda, just stay completely focused on the dummies,” Natasha called out, grinning at the brunette.

 _“If you wanted me to stay focused, you shouldn't have given me that smile,”_ Wanda thought, but simply called back “thanks!” and continued to lift and wrend apart the training figures with her magic.

Stark had provided them with numerous state-of-the-art training equipment to hone their skills with, including these robotic dummies that would fight back and fix themselves when a trainee tore them apart, not unlike what Wanda was doing now.

Natasha continued watching the witch intently, but was not the only one. The android Vision stood on the opposite side of the training room, admiring the girl who was tearing her opponents apart, limb by limb. He glanced over to the red-haired woman in the room, and decided that he did not like the affectionate way she was looking at Wanda.

Wanda triumphantly picked up the last dummy with a swirl of red power and ripped it clean in half, retracting the magic beam and letting the two halves fall. She grinned and walked towards the two of her teammates standing on the opposite side of the room as the training robots began to inch together and mend themselves, preparing for the next Avenger who wanted to practice a certain fighting technique or just let out their anger.

The Russian woman clapped as Wanda walked towards her and the android. “Well done! You're getting so much better at controlling it and making it do what you want it to do,” she remarked.

Wanda beamed. “Thank you, I've been doing what you taught me, about visualizing the ocean, you know? Just watching it come in and go back out and matching what I do with my magic with that,” she explained excitedly.

Vision flew over to where the two women were talking with unbelievable speed. “Wanda! You’re doing great,” he interrupted, placing a hand on Wanda’s shoulder.

The brunette turned slightly and grinned. “Thanks Vis,” she said simply, returning to her conversation with Natasha, but moving a hand up to place on the one Vision was still resting on her shoulder.

Natasha noticed the motion and how in sync the pair seemed to be. She involuntarily raised an eyebrow in confusion, but continued talking to the still beaming Wanda.

“Well, I better get going. See what everyone else is up to right now. Do you want to meet for one-on-one training same time tomorrow?” Natasha asked, attempting to conclude the conversation but also directing a jab at the pink android, who hadn't stopped possessively gazing at Wanda since he floated over.

“That would be great!” Wanda exclaimed, then suddenly sprung forward and threw her arms around Natasha. “Thanks for everything you've done to help me,” she said, quietly so only Nat could hear it.

Natasha smiled and drew back. “See you later tonight and tomorrow, then. Movie night, remember?” she called back as she began walking towards the exit.

“We’ll be there!” Wanda called back, waving.

As Natasha left the training room and headed into the kitchen, she was confused as to why she felt so unsettled. Why had she been upset by Vision showing up halfway through their training session, and why had she been off-put about the way he touched Wanda and looked at her during their conversation? She quickly shook the feeling away, telling herself she was just upset that he could have been a distraction for her trainee, and she didn't think teammate relationships were a good idea, for professional and personal reasons.

She reached the kitchen, deciding to make herself a pot of coffee. Coffee always put her nerves at ease, had an almost calming effect on her, opposite to most people.

 _“I'm just high-strung and anxious about the future of this team, that's all. That's why I got so shaken about the Vision-Wanda thing,”_ the assassin kept telling herself as she let the pot warm on the stovetop.

Stark had bought a high tech coffee maker that could make almost anything you wanted it to, granted that you put in the right ingredients. Natasha smiled to herself as she remembered teaching Wanda how to use it. The girl had pressed a button, was confused to why her drink wasn't coming out, and was about to crush the machine when Nat walked in and helped her find the necessary coffee beans and half-and-half. The memory concluding, the redhead took her pot off the stove. She preferred making her coffee the old-fashioned way, the process was as calming as the drink itself to her. Besides, she swore Stark’s machine diluted the strength of the pure coffee.

She was pouring herself a mug when Steve padded into the kitchen, his shirt soaked with sweat and beads of it clinging to his forehead.

“Hey there soldier, care for a cup of joe?” Natasha asked, leaning back slightly.

“Thanks but no thanks. I've got to make a protein shake, it's part of my regimen,” Steve explained as he drowsily opened the fridge.

Natasha snorted. “Your regimen? Don't you just stay perfect on your own?” she joked, stirring a slight amount of cream into her mug and returning the coffee pot to the stove on low heat to keep it warm.

Steve chuckled. “Theoretically, the serum just made me stronger and more muscular, but doesn't do anything to regulate it, so I'm not taking any chances. You know, just in case,” he said, thoughtfully shaking his drink in its specialized container.

Natasha nodded, biting back a laugh as she looked over every inch of his rippling muscles. “Do you want to sit and chat for a minute? I feel like we never get to do that,” she asked, gesturing to the balcony at the end of the kitchen that held a small wrought iron set of table and chairs.

“That would be great actually, I need a moment to cool down before I get back at it,” Steve replied, picking up the towel that was draped around his shoulders and dabbing at the sweat collecting on his forehead.

Natasha turned off the stove, deciding she would make iced coffee with the remainder if it wasn't warm when she returned, and headed out to the balcony with the super-soldier.

“So, what's been going on in your world? I've hardly seen anyone around lately, except during meals,” Steve prompted once the pair was seated and settled.

“Training, training, and more training. I've been helping Wanda mostly, she still needs help controlling her power, but she's making great improvements,” Nat responded, sipping her coffee.

Steve nodded. “I've been helping Sam with flight drills. Not that he's inexperienced and needs training, but he's been wanting to perfect these certain tricks to help take out enemies quicker- I don't know really, I just time him when he says to time him and throw up obstacles for him to avoid every now and then,” he said humorously, shaking his head slightly.

Natasha laughed. “So it's like playing catch, but a little more potentially deadly,” she offered.

Steve smiled. “Yeah, I guess that's what it's like,” he said, then stopped to think for a moment, “have you seen Vision training at all? I never see him outside at the flight course or inside at any of the training areas. I guess he's an android so he doesn't need training but…what does he do all day?” Steve asked, genuinely confused.

“Other than spy on Wanda’s training sessions? Not much that I've seen,” Natasha remarked in a glib tone.

“Vision’s got a thing for Wanda, huh? How does that even work, can he feel real feelings?” Steve asked, puzzled.

Natasha shrugged. “I guess? He's not a robot, he's an AI, and that gem in his forehead can only make him more alive,” she said, attempting to reason how he could have feelings, but she was as confused as Steve.

“That would make sense,” Steve said simply.

“How do you feel about relationships between team members?” Natasha asked suddenly.

Steve was surprised by the question. “Well…I don't really see any problem with it, as long as it doesn't get in the way of doing the job that needs to be done,” he said, then paused, “why do you ask?” he raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.

“Oh, no real reason. Just wondering because if we were against it, we should tell the lovebirds now,” she replied, looking out over their backyard and sipping her coffee.

“Oh good, I thought you were about to confess your undying love for me or something,” Steve said sarcastically, unable to suppress a laugh.

Natasha laughed in return. “Yes, that's absolutely what I was thinking, you fossil,” she said, the pair continuing to laugh together at the thought of them being together.

“Why are you concerned with Vision and Wanda though?” Steve asked, quirking one eyebrow upwards once their laughter had subsided.

“I just don't want Wa- either of them getting hurt,” Natasha said, staring down into her coffee mug, hoping Steve wouldn't comment on her slip of the tongue.

“You don't want Wanda getting hurt,” he commented on her slip of the tongue.

“I mean- yeah. He's an android, how can he comprehend human emotion? And if she actually likes him, then-” Natasha started.

“Whoa, so only he likes her as of right now?” Steve asked, putting together the puzzle pieces in his mind.

“Yes, as far as I know,” the redhead responded.

“Well, then I say we not worry about either of them until they figure out their own business, okay?” Steve said, reaching over to ruffle Natasha’s hair, “I have to go bench press now, but this was nice, we should do it more often.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. Also, just so you know, you're the only person on this planet that can ruffle my hair and live to do it again,” she said stubbornly.

Steve only grinned in return as he stood up and walked towards the door that led back inside. “I'll see you tonight, right?” he asked, referring to movie night.

“Of course, when have I ever missed the opportunity to aid in your education of the classics?” she teased.

“Is Wanda coming too?” Steve asked innocently.

Natasha felt her cheeks redden slightly. “Yes, her and Vision, why do you ask?”

Steve shrugged. “No reason. See you tonight!” he called.

And with that, the former Russian assassin was left sitting on the Avengers’  
balcony with a lukewarm cup of coffee and a metric ton of confusing feelings.


	2. I got it bad, baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vision asks Wanda out to coffee, it goes about as well as one would expect for a girl currently having an existential crisis induced by a certain teammate.

“Would you like to go out to some place where we can get a beverage and some kind of pastry, I believe it's called a cafe?” Vision asked once Natasha had left the room.

Wanda giggled. “That would be great, I'll go change and grab my purse. Leave in about 15 minutes?” she replied, tilting her head.

“That's perfect,” the android responded, smiling slightly and giving a gentle nod.

The brunette simply gave a quick smile and left the room, then used her magic to propel herself upwards to the bridge suspended over the common area that led to the team members’ living quarters. She was about to head towards her room when she saw Natasha in the kitchen on the right below the bridge. Wanda involuntary leaned on the railing on that side and watched the Russian woman brewing a pot of coffee. Why Natasha didn't just use Stark’s machine was beyond her, but she also found it kind of charming. The Sokovian smirked and was about to turn and leave when she saw Steve enter the room. She leaned down further to see what was happening and watched intently in spite of herself. While not able to hear what was being said, Wanda could tell that they were laughing and joking and talking like the old friends they were. The two were so close that they almost seemed to be in perfect sync. Something deep in Wanda twisted, as she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She wasn't sure what it was or what caused it, but it only worsened when Natasha led Steve out to the balcony attached to the kitchen. Flustered, Wanda jerked away from the rail and dashed toward her room, full of unanswerable questions.

 _“Why do I care about how close they are? Forget about it, I'm going on basically a date with Vision in a few minutes. I don't need to be worried about things like this. Why do I even feel jealous? Maybe I just want to be as close to someone as they are to each other,”_ she pondered as she padded towards her room. She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Sam Wilson walking her way.

“Whoa, eyes on the road!” Sam yelped, chuckling as Wanda ran head first into him.

“Oh! I'm so sorry, I was just…lost in thought I guess,” she mumbled, glancing off to the side. She was about to sneak past Sam and run the rest of the way to her room, but he stopped her by placing his hands on her shoulders.

“Wait, you're not going anywhere until you explain what's wrong,” he said pointedly.

Wanda blushed slightly. “What…what do you mean?” she stammered.

Sam smirked. “You gazing wistfully over the railing, your face falling, then you angrily storming in my direction means nothing?” he asked.

“You were spying on me?!” Wanda asked in return, indignant.

Sam chuckled again. “Alright, I won't push any further. You obviously don't want to talk about it right now,” he said, patting her on the shoulders and starting to walk away.

“Wait! Um…what do you think could be wrong with me?” Wanda called back, facing away from Sam.

He stopped. “Well, I'm no expert, but it looks like you've got it bad for someone. Again, I'm no expert, but you might want to consider evaluating your feelings towards everyone on this team,” he said simply, then continued walking away.

Wanda turned around to ask another question, but the man was already gone. She sighed and continued to her room, pushing the door open lightly and shutting it firmly behind her as she entered. She looked down at her sweat stained clothing and sighed again, noting that she needed to shower before she could go out anywhere. Wanda huffed as she shoved a pile of dirty clothes on the floor towards her laundry hamper, then stripped off her current clothes and added them to the pile. She used a gentle tendril of her deep red magic to twist her hair up so it wouldn't get wet and waltzed towards her bathroom, nearly tripping over a pile of books next to her bed along the way. Once safely in the bathroom, she turned on the shower and waited a few seconds for the water to warm up.

 _“What does he mean, ‘I've got it bad’? I don't really like anyone here that way. Rhodes and Sam and Steve are too old, and Vision is sweet, but I'm not sure if I could ever truly have feelings for him. That leaves the only option being…”_ Wanda’s train of thought started, then immediately slammed to a halt. No, she couldn't like Natasha, could she? No, absolutely not. Natasha was like her cool older sister, her mentor, the person who made sure she had everything she needed and was cared for. It wasn't that Wanda was opposed to the idea of liking girls, hell, her first actual crush had been on one. But Natasha? No. She might be a gorgeous Russian warrior sent directly from heaven, but Wanda didn't ‘have it bad’ for her.

Wanda didn't realize how long she’d been just standing in her bathroom until she turned and saw the dense amount of fog that had collected on her mirror. She quickly threw open the shower door and jumped in, soaking every part of her with the steamy water and lathering herself with a sweet smelling body wash.

Several minutes later, she emerged and headed out across her room to brave her mess of a closet to find a suitable and clean outfit. Several near trips over piles of clothing, various belongings precariously strewn across the floor, and the corners of her furniture, Wanda was finally ready to leave, dressed in a soft grey skater dress with a purse Steve had given her for Hanukkah (he'd insisted that the Avengers celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas since Wanda stillloosely maintained her Jewish faith). She’d decided to leave her hair in its twist and bothered only with a smear of eyeshadow and lip gloss.

She stepped out into the bridge and descended into the common area on a deep red cloud. She landed in the middle of the circle of couches next to a coffee table to see Steve and Sam sitting on one, talking quietly and intently, but with smiles plastered on their faces. They both sat up completely straight and fell silent when they noticed the girl standing in front of them.

“Hi…where’s- where’s Vision? Have you seen him anywhere recently?” Wanda stammered.

“He flew in, said he’d be waiting for you on the balcony,” Sam said, the whisper of a smile tugging up at the corners of his mouth.

“Th...thank you,” she stuttered in reply. She walked away from the living room and to the balcony as fast as she could without running, Sam and Steve remaining silent while she was still within earshot. She didn’t know what their silence was for, but it made her weary.

Once she reached the kitchen, she glanced around to see if Natasha was still there, which she regrettably was not. Wanda sighed involuntarily and headed out to the balcony.

“Hey, Vis. I’m ready to go,” she said, peaking only her head out of the compound.

Vision was standing at the railing, hovering slightly above the ground. He spun around at the sound of Wanda’s voice.

“Wonderful, there is a place approximately a quarter mile from here called Starbucks, shall we go there?” he asked, gazing off into space for a moment to use his computer system to locate a cafe.

Wanda stifled a giggle at his choice of establishment. “That's perfect. How do you want to get there, exactly?” she asked, suddenly curious as to what his solution was, since neither of them could drive any of the Avengers’ numerous vehicles legally or conspicuously.

“Oh, I thought we could fly,” he responded simply.

Wanda tilted her head slightly. “Vis, you know I can't-” she started.

“Of course not, I'd carry you. If that's alright, anyway,” he explained.

“Oh! Yes. Of course, that's alright,” Wanda said, adjusting her purse strap and clinging to it as in one swift motion, Vision glided over and scooped her gently into his arms. Once he ensured that she was secure, he shot upwards into the clouds, propelling forward once they reached the highest point possible.

Wanda had only flown with Vision once or twice, so each time was still breathtaking. The rush of wind, the tickle of wisps of clouds, the warm glow of the sun, and the uninterrupted bright blue sky never failed to escape her notice. Each detail etched itself into her mind as she marveled at the beauty of it.

The flight was over too quickly, and Wanda let out a small sigh as she was placed onto the pavement of the Starbucks parking lot.

“Enjoy the flight?” Vision asked.

“Yes! Absolutely, it's always so gorgeous above the clouds,” she said, beaming.

Vision smiled unsurely. “Wonderful, I'm glad it was an enjoyable experience,” he said slightly awkwardly, offering his arm for Wanda to take.

The girl pretended she didn't see his outstretched, bent arm and began walking towards the coffee shop. The android’s posture slumped a little, but he quickly hid his disappointment and walked excitedly next to Wanda.

When they entered the store, Wanda was relieved to see that here were few patrons within. Usually, the more people in a certain area meant the more chance of being ridiculed or simply recognized for being saviors of the Earth. The few people there were absorbed in work or each other.

The witch and the android strolled up to the front of the empty queue. “Hi, can I get a Chai tea latte?” Wanda asked the cashier.

“Absolutely! Um…does he want…anything?” the perky barista asked, gesturing vaguely and in a confused manner towards Vision, who was floating slightly right behind Wanda.

“No, he's alright-” she started.

“I don't require nutrients of any kind to sustain my life, so no thank you,” Vision interjected, floating closer to the counter.

The barista tried not to let her jaw drop, but failed miserably. “Well…alright then. That'll be just $4.16 then,” she said, clearly more confused than she had ever been in her entire life.

As Wanda was swiping her card, she leaned in slightly closer to the barista. “I'm so sorry if this was awkward,” she said simply.

The barista snorted. “If this was the weirdest thing I'd ever see while working here, I'd consider myself an extremely lucky woman,” she said, staring off into space, lost in thought.

Wanda giggled. “It's really that bad?” she asked, incredulously.

“Yep. Oh by the way, can I get a name for the order?” the barista asked.

“Wanda,” the other woman responded simply.

“Oh wait, are you that Maximoff girl? Wanda Maximoff? From the Avengers? I saw you on the news a while ago,” the employee asked excitedly, speaking quickly.

Wanda cringed slightly, but hid her disappointment at being recognized. “Yes, yes I am. And he's the Vision, created by Tony Stark,” she affirmed.

The barista finished writing Wanda’s name on a cup and passed it down to the employees making drinks. “Oh, he makes a lot more sense now. Well, enjoy your latte!” she said, suddenly realizing at least three other customers had piled into the line during their conversation.

“Thank you,” Wanda responded simply and tugged on Vision’s arm, pulling him over to the open waiting area. Her drink was already prepared, so she took it off the counter, flashing a grateful smile at the worker behind the counter, and headed off to a deserted corner of the shop. Vision followed closely behind and slid into the chair opposite Wanda at the table she chose.

“So the woman at the register recognized us?” Vision asked after several moments of Wanda sipping her latte, letting silence fall between the two of them.

“Yes, but only after I told her my name,” Wanda clarified.

“Pardon the odd question, but did she think I was…strange before she realized who we were?” Vision asked as a follow-up.

“Oh, I'm sure she didn't. It would be considered rude otherwise,” Wanda reassured him, stuffing her memory of their conversation deep down.

Vision gave a shaky smile. “You don't have to lie to me, Wanda. You're a magnificent human, I wouldn't take offense to you telling me her truthful opinion,” he said, giving Wanda an uneasy feeling.

“Um, she said if you were the weirdest thing she'd ever seen, she'd be a lucky woman,” Wanda said truthfully, laughing nervously.

“The weirdest thing, huh?” he responded thoughtfully, gazing out the window.

It took Wanda several moments to realize the implications of what she'd just said. “Oh my god, Vis, she didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean it like that,” she said, putting down her drink and reaching a hand across the table to place it on Vision’s.

He smiled at the touch. “It's alright. I know you mean no harm. And I'm still figuring out exactly what I am anyway. You- you're so accepting of me no matter what though. I know you'll stand by me,” he said, smiling. Wanda’s uneasy feeling only intensified.

“Uh- yea! Of course,” she said, drawing her hand away.

A few more moments of silence passed before Vision broke it again. “I guess I should address the main topic I wanted to discuss with you today,” he said.

Wanda raised an eyebrow. “Of course, what is it?” she implored.

He made a sound like he was clearing his throat, despite the action having no purpose for him. “I'll get right to the point. I really like you, Wanda Maximoff. I know I've only been conscious for a few months now, but I feel as though I understand all of the human experience when I look at you. You radiate this warmth…make me feel things no being like me should be able to. You hold the key to my heart, as one might say,” he said confidently, words rushing out suddenly.

Wanda suddenly understood why the uneasy feeling had been building in her gut.

“Oh, Vis…” she trailed off, “I don't know what to say,” she concluded simply, unsure of exactly what to say.

He smiled warmly. “Then don't say anything. I just needed to tell you now before overthinking it caused me to short circuit,” he said, attempting to make a joke.

The quip however made something in Wanda snap. “I understand. Um…I think I'm ready to return to the compound,” she said, staring down into her latte, relieved that she only had a few sips left so she didn't have to explain herself.

Vision’s mood deflated slightly. “Of course. We want to be back in time for movie night,” he said, his smile taking on a sad quality.

Wanda smiled back shyly and finished off her drink, standing up to toss it into a trash receptacle. Vision followed her there and out of the store.

“Ready?” he asked quietly, holding out his arms.

“Oh! Yes, I am,” Wanda replied absentmindedly. Vision picked her up gingerly and the two were up in the sky again. The girl barely took in her beautiful surroundings this time, too lost in her own thoughts.

 _“How can he be in love with me? How could I have almost been charmed by if until I remembered what he was? Am I being a heartless bitch by wanting to turn him away?”_ she continued down this train of thought until the two landed on the Avengers’ balcony.

“I had fun today,” Vision said, unsure as he set Wanda down gently.

“Hm? Oh yes, of course,” she said, staring off into space for a moment, then adding “I had fun too”.

Vision smiled with a slight sad quality again and turned back inside, taking a final glance at Wanda as he disappeared back inside. The brunette however remained on the balcony, leaning against the railing and clasping her hands together. She gazed over the luscious, bright green backyard and continued pondering her current situation.

No matter how awkward today had been, at least she learned something. That Sam was wrong, she didn't have it bad for anyone. Unless…

Shit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I think this is the only time I've ever gotten an update out in a day, so I'm hoping this means I'm truly inspired to follow through in this!! I also hope you all enjoyed, leave any thoughts and critiscm below, and I should have another update in a couple days!!


	3. i need someone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most awkward movie night in Avengers' history + some good ole fashioned girl talk

Around 8:30, the Avengers slowly started to stream into the living room one by one in anticipation of movie night, which started sharply at 9:00 pm every Friday night. The first person down was Steve, who took it upon himself to pop enough popcorn to fuel the entire team for the rest of the night. Sam joined him not too long after that, aiding the mission for salty snacks by monitoring microwave popcorn while Steve popped kernels over the stove. Natasha and Vision wound up wandering into the common area next at the same time, and sat on opposite sides of the room where the giant plasma screen resided.

After several moments of slightly awkward silence, punctuated by nothing more than the distant sound of popping popcorn, Natasha decided to break it. “So…I heard you went on a date with Wanda earlier today,” she started, trying to maintain a cool tone.

Vision gave her a feeble smile. “Well, yes, I suppose. It didn't go as well as expected, however,” he said thoughtfully.

“Oh? What happened?” Natasha pried, stuffing down an unexplainable sense of excitement.

“I told her how I felt about her and she…rejected my advances, in a way. I don't really know how emotions work for me anyway- so I'm still processing everything,” he explained, absentmindedly rubbing the gem embedded in his forehead.

Natasha smiled sympathetically. “I'm sure you'll figure it all out soon. And I'm sure Wanda still wants to be close no matter what,” she assured him.

Vision was about to say something else, but the subject of their conversation floated in at that very moment. The room went dead silent.

“Hi…” Wanda said, unsurely stepping into the room and towards a couch. Much to Vision’s dismay, she chose a seat as far away from him as possible. Coincidentally, this seat was a place on the couch as close to Natasha as possible.

“Hello Natasha, how was the rest of your day?” Wanda asked cordially in an attempt to avoid conversation with the other person in the room.

“It was pleasant, thanks for asking,” she replied, then leaned in closer to the other woman, “I can feel the ice in your relationship from here,” she added quietly.

Wanda stifled a laugh. “I don't mean to make it awkward and terrible! It just- the things he said to me…” she attempted to explain in a flustered whisper.

Natasha gently pressed a finger to Wanda’s lips. “You can tell me all about it later,” she promised.

The brunette smirked and settled back onto the couch as Sam and Steve entered the room with two large trays full of bowls of popcorn. The two silently placed them on the round coffee table in the middle of the half-circle of couches and settled onto the long couch placed right behind the table.

“What's next on the list?” Steve asked, leaning back into the plush couch.

“The final original Star Wars movie; Return of the Jedi,” Natasha answered, Sam nodding in approval.

“I've never seen that one either, the copy our library had when I was growing up was too damaged to play,” Wanda said quietly.

Natasha gasped jokingly, which made Wanda giggle. “That right there is a goddamn tragedy, it's certainly not the best of the three movies, but it provides needed closure-” she began.

“I've never seen it, either,” Vision said, cutting her off.

The room fell into awkward silence for several moments.

“Where the hell is Rhodey, anyway?” Sam asked, looking around in all directions.

“He said he needed to sleep and told me to make sure no one bothered him,” Steve responded as Natasha got the movie set up, squatting down next to the DVD player and messing with all of the buttons.

Sam only grumbled a reply, something that included the phrase “old man” more than once.

“We’re in business!” Natasha exclaimed as she finally got the movie to start. She turned and settled back on the couch next to Wanda. The other girl thought the redhead was slightly closer than before.

About 20 minutes in, everyone seemed to remember that the popcorn was sitting in front of them, and all except Vision immediately started crunching on it. Natasha grabbed a single bowl for her and Wanda and nestled it between the two of them. While they tried to avoid it as much as possible, they often both reached for a handful at the same time. After about the fifth time, they stopped muttering ‘sorry’ each time it happened. After about the seventh time, Wanda began to wonder if it was intentional on either of their parts.

Steve was absolutely enthralled by the film, becoming visibly upset when Yoda dissipated, gasping when Leia was revealed to be Luke’s sister, and ‘awww’-ing at the ewoks even when they were tying up C3PO.

At a certain point, Natasha became so tired that she couldn't keep her head up, and chose to lean it on Wanda’s shoulder. The girl didn't mind, but also didn't like the looks she noticed Vision kept shooting her.

Wanda tried to concentrate on the movie, especially considering that she did want to know how the trilogy ended, but failed in the fight to keep her head up. The last thing she remembered was Luke telling Leia they were related, thinking _“well, that must be awkward for her”_ , and then letting her head gently fall on top of Natasha’s.

\---

“Rise and shine,” Sam cooed while kneeling over Wanda and Natasha, poking them gently.

Natasha shot straight upwards, causing Wanda to jerk to the side and groan, rubbing her eyes. “What happened?” she asked, slight panic apparent at first.

Sam smirked. “You two fell asleep on each other about halfway through the movie. Figured I should wake you guys up once it ended so you didn't wake up tomorrow morning with no one else around and wonder what happened,” he said humorously.

“You should have woken me up when I fell asleep, I was invested,” Wanda whined drowsily, stretching and yawning.

“We can watch it again later, I don't think anyone would mind much at all,” Sam replied with a sly smile on his face, “and next time you get mad at me, just remember that Steve suggested we change the clocks to all say 2 am, turn off all the lights, and hide until you woke up so you thought you’d slept for hours and we’d abandoned you,” he chuckled, standing up.

“Hey, that is not what I said!” Steve protested from across the room.

“Then what did you say?” Sam called back incredulously.

“I said we should let them sleep as long as they wanted and if we were still in there when they woke up, we should turn off the lights and hide so they thought it was the next day already,” Steve explained, shouting from the kitchen now.

Sam rolled his eyes. “That's basically the same thing!” he screamed back, stomping towards the kitchen now.

Natasha snickered slightly. “Hey Wanda, do you wanna come back to my room, have some girl talk and tell me all about what happened with Vision?” she asked, stretching to wake herself up.

Wanda looked over for the android in question, and upon seeing that he was nowhere close, turned back to the redhead and nodded. “That would be great, shall we?” she asked, gesturing towards the stairs to the bridge.

The Russian simply stood up and turned back to Wanda, offering a hand to help her up. The brunette took it gratefully and the pair walked toward the stairs.

“Good night, Steve. Good night, Sam,” Natasha called as they climbed up.

“Night,” Sam called back.

“Sweet dreams,” Steve added.

Natasha and Wanda arrived on the bridge shortly after, when Wanda stopped suddenly.

“I'm going to change into my pajamas, I'll join you in a minute,” she said, finger-gunning slightly awkwardly and heading off in the direction of her room.

“Alright, cool,” Natasha said simply, smiling slightly and shaking her head at Wanda’s finger guns.

She continued onto her own room and decided to change into more comfortable clothes as well. Pushing open her door, Nat sighed and looked around the area, making sure it was as spotless as ever. It was without a doubt the most comfortable room she'd ever been able to call her own; she had a hanging plush chair anchored to the ceiling in the corner, a fully packed bookshelf, and a queen bed piled high with blankets, pillows, and a single stuffed fox plush. She'd always wanted a big four post bed and a library since she was a child, so this was the closest she had ever come to that dream.

Satisfied that nothing was out of place, Natasha walked over to the dresser tucked into the corner opposite her hanging chair and fished out an oversized t-shirt and lounge shorts. She quickly stripped off her current clothing and began to throw on the other clothing when the door swung open, and a startled Natasha was left topless with Wanda standing still in shock right in front of her.

The brunette dashed out of the room as soon as she regained her composure and her jaw left its place the floor. “I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were-” she started.

“It's alright, you're all good now,” Natasha replied after shrugging her shirt on over her head.

Wanda walked back in sheepishly, closing the door behind her.

“You can sit on the bed or the chair, whichever you'd like,” the redhead said, gesturing towards both locations.

Wanda chose the chair, cheeks bright red as she plodded towards it, still embarrassed about having walked in on Natasha.

Natasha sat on the bed opposite the chair, leaning back and propping herself up on her elbows. “So, what do you want to tell me about?” she asked, one eyebrow raised slightly.

“Well…I'm not even sure where to start, exactly. I know Vision told you about us going out of the compound today, right?” Wanda started.

“You heard our earlier conversation, huh?” Natasha responded simply.

Wanda’s fading blush returned. “I mean- I just happened to be coming downstairs at that moment and decided to hear what he said about me, you know, see if he was upset. I kind of left him hanging out to dry earlier,” she hastily explained.

Natasha chuckled. “It's no big deal, it’s not like it was a private conversation,” she said, “I'm curious how you guys got there though, please continue,” she prompted.

“Okay. So right after you left the training room, he asked me to go out a cafe with him, I agreed, and we ended up at- don't laugh- a Starbucks,” Wanda continued.

Natasha giggled slightly but didn't say anything.

“Long story short, when we were sitting down, he said he had something he wanted to talk to me about. Turns out, he likes me and said I ‘had the key to his heart’ or some sappy shit like that, but I didn't even know he could have feelings like that, you know? I guess anything’s possible with a Stark invention and an Infinity Stone, but I don't know if he's actually feeling anything or just thinks he's feeling something,” Wanda explained.

“Wow, that's pretty sudden and forward,” Nat reinforced.

“I know, right? He’s only been conscious for a few months, and he’s already saying he’s in love with me?!” the brunette added incredulously.

The redhead snorted. “It's as much of a mystery to me as it is to you,” she said, shaking her head.

“I guess the point is that I have no idea what to do about the whole thing. I don't want to break his little android heart, but also I want to make sure the line between friends and something more is clearly drawn,” Wanda said, sighing and propping her chin up on her hands.

Natasha nodded thoughtfully. “A tough situation I've found myself in much too often for my liking. I wish I could tell you that it gets easier each time, but it really doesn't,” she said, sitting up straight.

“I…don't think this will happen ever again. No one’s ever noticed me in that way before now, and now it's not even a person,” Wanda said, a sudden and unexpected sadness entering her eyes.

“Oh no, Wanda, I didn't mean that. I just- it's not easy to deal with and I don't have great advice on how to help the situation,” Natasha said hurriedly, then added, “And- I wouldn't worry about that at all. I- you're going to find someone, I promise,” attempting to apologize for the unintended effect of her comment.

Wanda looked up and brushed a lock of hair from her forehead, tears glistening in her eyes. “Don't worry about comforting me. I know I'm basically unloveable, especially since after-” she started, then produced a small wisp of red magic and rolled it around in her hand, “-this. No one understands, or wants to,” she said solemnly, trying to calm herself down.

Natasha beckoned Wanda over to her bed. The younger woman stood up slowly and took the few steps between the chair and the bed and sat down next to the redhead. Natasha tentatively reached out an arm to put around Wanda’s shoulders when the girl buried her head into Natasha’s shoulder and threw her arms around her in one swift motion.

“No one…no one’s ever liked me that way. No one- until this fucking android! An android, not even a person. Of course this is the way things worked out, what else could have happened?” Wanda sobbed, finally letting her tears flow freely.

The other woman was taken aback, but worked her arms around Wanda eventually and rubbed her back gently. “Oh Wanda…you're not unloveable. This situation doesn't define your love life, okay? Even if it's your first true experience with things like this,” Natasha said reassuringly.

Wanda sniffled. “It's not my first,” she said, barely above a whisper, “but everything else has been a failure.”

“You wanna talk about it?” Natasha asked in an equally quiet voice.

“There's too many…I've forgotten the details of most. My first though, she- she laughed in my face when I had to admit I liked her since a friend let it slip. She… said she didn't want to talk to ‘a dyke like me’ ever again. And she was true to her word,” Wanda said, words tumbling out of her mouth.

“What was her name?” Natasha asked absentmindedly, moving to stroke Wanda’s hair.

“Rachel,” Wanda replied simply.

“Every Rachel I've ever met has been a jerk,” the other woman said humorously.

Wanda chuckled softly. “Every single one of my other attempts ended just as disastrously. A guy named Bryce said he liked me but really had a crush on my friend and used me to get closer to her. I slow danced with a girl named Grace at homecoming and I thought we had something going, but then she started dating some random guy she never talked to two days later. I pined after a guy named Joseph for two years and the whole thing ended when my friend told him how I felt I'm the worst way possible and things were awkward between us ever since. That was my last experience before…before the incident,” she started listing off.

“That's really unfortunate. I guess my love life has been about the same,” Natasha said, getting lost in thought.

Wanda sat up slightly, loosening her grip on Natasha. “Really? I don't believe it,” she said, honestly shocked.

“Yup, believe it or not, I'm bad at love. Feelings, all that mushy stuff. I don't know if I'll ever understand it,” she responded, laughing lightly.

“Especially with the Avengers now, I don't know if anything will ever work out for me,” Wanda said, yawning and removing her arms from around Natasha fully in order to stretch.

Natasha smiled sadly. “Me neither,” she agreed, “are you getting tired? You- you can just stay in my room. If you want, since it's getting late, you know?” she stammered out.

Wanda smiled in return. “That would be great, I don't know if I could walk all the way back to my own room without falling over out of exhaustion,” she said gratefully, chuckling slightly.

“I can sleep on the floor if you'd like-” the redhead started.

“Oh, no! Don't worry about it, your bed is big enough to share,” Wanda said hastily.

Natasha wasn't sure why she was relieved by that answer. “Great,” she said simply, pulling up the covers to slip under them and lifting the other side for Wanda to crawl under. The brunette followed quickly, yawning again as she plumped her pillow.

“Thanks for everything, Natasha. I might need some more advice on tackling the Vision issue tomorrow though,” she said sleepily, turning towards Natasha.

The Russian woman smiled and turned towards Wanda. “No problem. I think I'll be able to give more concrete advice after a good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee, but I hope this was at least cathartic,” she said.

Wanda nodded vigorously. “Absolutely. I haven't cried about my tragic love life in a really long time, and I've been holding in a lot more than I thought I was,” she mused.

Natasha smiled. “Well, I'm gonna hit the hay, mind if I turn out the light now?” she asked.

“Oh, not at all. I'll probably fall asleep the moment it goes out,” Wanda giggled.

“Same here. Well, good night. Sleep tight. Let me know if you need anything,” Natasha said, flicking the light switch above her headboard.

“Good night. I will,” Wanda squeaked back.

The two women lay silent in the dark for several moments, Natasha on her back, staring up at the ceiling, and Wanda curled in a semi-fetal position facing away from her. After several moments of still silence, Wanda’s voice cracked above it again.

“Natasha?” she croaked.

“Yes?” the woman in question inquired, turning towards Wanda.

“Can you hold me? I- I usually sleep with a nightlight. I'm scared of the dark,” Wanda said with labored breathing.

“Of course. I'll remember that,” Natasha said, rolling over to Wanda’s side of the bed and pressing her body lightly against the other woman’s, draping an arm over her as well.

Wanda sighed contentedly, and was fast asleep within moments. Natasha didn't last much longer either, her last thought before entirely losing consciousness being _“her little snores are so cute.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with the story up to this point!! Updates might be a little scarce for the next week while I'm still in school + the week after that when I'm on vacation, but after that I should be back to updates every couple of days. Leave a comment with any thoughts and opinions on the story and where it's headed, thanks again for reading!!
> 
> ((and rip Vision who got fUCKING DESTROYED by Wanda this chapter,, sorry I just totally see her having a Past™ and being totally insecure about the fact that the only person to love her isn't even a person))


	4. i don’t know who i am without you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Domestic!Avengers and Dad!Steve anyone??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got this update out a lot quicker than I thought I would!! The next, next one will probably take longer because I have a week in between school and my first summer trip sO with that said, I hope y’all enjoy!!

The next morning, Wanda was the first to wake up. She woke with a start and a flash of panic at her unfamiliar surroundings and the person draped over her. It only took a few moments for her heart rate to slow down as she remembered what had happened the previous night and that Natasha was the one behind her, providing much needed comfort. She yawned and settled back to be even closer to Natasha, enjoying the warmth that she and the many layers of blankets provided. Wanda would have fallen back asleep if not for the other woman waking up a few moments later.

“Mmmorin’,” Natasha mumbled drowsily.

“Good morning,” Wanda replied, yawning again.

“Did you sleep alright?” the redhead asked, moving the arm that was over Wanda away so she could check her phone.

“Yeah. Thanks for letting me stay here, I don't know if I would have made it back to my room without falling over,” the brunette said humorously, rubbing her eyes.

Natasha chuckled. “Anytime. It's almost afternoon, wanna go make some brunch?” she asked, sitting up.

Wanda groaned. “Just five more minutes, it's so warm here,” she whined.

The Russian woman laughed and ruffled Wanda’s hair. “I'm gonna go freshen up, we can go downstairs after that,” she said.

The witch simply nodded and nuzzled herself further into the nest of blankets while Natasha padded across the room to her bathroom. Wanda slowly sat up and stepped timidly out of the bed when her teammate came back a few minutes later.

“I just want to sleep all day,” Wanda complained as she and Natasha started slowly walking out of the redhead’s room and down to the kitchen.

Natasha laughed. “I mean, nothing’s stopping you, unless some worldly crisis happens today or Steve gets it in his head to use our free time for another one of his building projects,” she said.

“But I have so much to do, like…laundry,” Wanda complained as they reached the bottom of the stairs and were greeted by the overwhelming smell of bacon.

“Mmm, never mind, I'm only thinking about eating my weight in Steve’s trademark bacon right now,” she added.

Natasha grinned. “Me too, I hadn't realized how hungry I was until right at this moment,” she said.

The two girls wandered into the kitchen and were greeted by the sight of Steve frying bacon at the stove just as they had suspected and Sam sitting at the dining room table, drinking coffee and reading a paper.

“Morning, Nat. Morning, Wanda,” Steve said, casually flipping bacon. Sam simply looked up for a moment and nodded in their direction.

“Good morning. Slept in as well?” Natasha asked, placing a hand in Steve’s shoulder as she passed by on her way to the cabinet.

“For once in my life, yes. You and Wanda woke up at the same time?” Steve replied, asking the question in a slightly suspicious manner.

“Yes, we slept together last night,” Wanda said casually as she was reaching in the pantry for cream and sugar, not realizing the double meaning.

Steve almost dropped a piece of bacon on the floor. Sam almost spit out his coffee. Natasha dropped the entire bag of coffee that she was holding onto the counter.

“Oh my god, not like that! We were just up late talking and I was too tired to walk back to my own room,” Wanda said hurriedly, attempting to explain.

Natasha continued making her pot of coffee as everyone else in the room remained still and silent, the only sound coming from the sizzling bacon.

“You sure about that? Natasha’s hair is in a messy bun, you both still look pretty embarrassed, and I've noticed you both have unusually short fingernails,” Sam said, breaking the silence, then sipping from his mug casually.

“It's nothing like that, she just had a slip of the tongue and is embarrassed about it, just drop it already,” Natasha snapped back.

Wanda smiled to her gratefully as Steve went back to what he was doing and Sam went back to reading his paper, but the slightly smug smile they exchanged did not go unnoticed.

“Would you like any coffee?” Natasha asked Wanda quietly.

“That would be great,” she responded, moving to get mugs down from a cabinet.

“Want me to make you guys an omelet?” Steve asked, turning around as he finished removing the bacon from the pan.

“I would love that, thanks Steve,” Natasha said as she placed a pot of hot water on the stove.

“I'd like one too, please,” Wanda squeaked.

The three of them continued preparing breakfast while Sam kept eyeing them suspiciously.

Natasha looked up and saw the Falcon squinting in her and Wanda’s direction. “Got anything you'd like to say?” she asked defensively.

“Is no one gonna point out the fact that Wanda is wearing one of Natasha’s shirts?” he asked, still squinting in their direction.

Wanda looked down and saw the heathered grey shirt emblazoned with the Widow’s red hourglass symbol and gasped. “I didn't realize this is the one I put on last night! I borrowed it a while ago while on a mission and forgot to return it I guess,” she explained sheepishly.

“Uh-huh,” Sam said slowly, putting down his paper and standing up, “well, I'll be working in the yard today, come find me if you need anything,” he said, mostly directed towards Steve.

“Have fun, Sam,” Natasha called after him, flipping him off without turning around.

Sam saw her gesture and chuckled. “Have fun with Wanda, Nat,” he said teasingly, and sprinted out of the room before anyone could react.

Steve laughed lightly. “Sorry about that. And your omelets and bacon are over here,” he said, gesturing to two plates set by the stove as he picked up his own and headed for the balcony.

“Thanks Steve, we’ll join you in a second,” Natasha said as he passed by the two of them and stopped to squeeze Natasha’s shoulder and the two smiled at each other like old friends.

Once he was gone and the coffee was being served, Wanda leaned in close to Natasha. “You two are close, right?” she asked suggestively.

“Hmm? Oh, me and Steve, we’re just really good friends. We’ve survived a couple of life-or-death experiences, you know? Really helps strengthen a relationship,” Nat responded, laughing at her last statement.

Wanda just smiled, hiding the strange giddy feeling that was produced by the confirmation that her teammates’ relationship was strictly platonic. Strong, but platonic. “I wish I had someone like that,” she said, getting out silverware.

Natasha stopped messing with the coffee. “But you do,” she said.

“Who?” Wanda asked, tilting her head.

“Us,” Natasha said simply, smiling at Wanda then turning back to finish making their coffee, “lots of cream and sugar in yours, right?” she asked.

Wanda kept smiling warmly and nodded. “You know me so well.”

\---

After a pleasant breakfast with Natasha and Steve, Wanda decided to head to a training room and blow off some steam with a personal yoga session, but was stopped in her tracks by a certain pink android floating in front of the smaller training room she planned on using.

 _“Shit, I tried to forget about all of this…and forgot to ask Natasha for more advice after coffee,”_ she thought, frantically trying to formulate an escape route, but she was too late.

“Hello Wanda, how are you this morning?” Vision asked, floating over to her.

“I'm…great. I'm great,” she said, flashing a fake smile and trying to skirt by to the entrance of the training room.

Vision swayed to the side slightly, doing just enough to block her from making it. Wanda huffed. “Um, about yesterday…” he started.

“Oh, don't worry about it! I'm sorry I panicked, but…” Wanda began, showing signs of being extremely irritated only thirty seconds into the conversation.

“So, you may reciprocate some of my feelings?” the android asked hopefully.

Wanda almost strangled him and bashed her head against the doorframe simultaneously. “Uh, no. I'm really sorry Vis, but I'm not interested in pursuing anything like that with anyone right now. I appreciate our friendship, but nothing more,” she said firmly but sweetly, keeping the sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.

Vision’s smile faltered, but he recovered quickly. “Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate our friendship as well, and I hope that when you're ready to pursue something, you'll let me know,” he said, turning and floating away faster than Wanda could process what he said.

She was left standing alone in the hallway, confused at first but quickly fuming. _“Did he just tell me to come back to him when I'm ready for a relationship?!”_ she thought furiously.

\---

Wanda took a couple of moments to calm herself down before storming off to find literally anyone else within the complex. She knew Sam was outside, but didn't feel like interrupting his yard work. She wasn't that close to Rhodes, and didn't know where he was anyway. Natasha hadn't told her where she was going, _“but where is Steve?”_ she thought, when suddenly it occurred to her.

_“Weightlifting in training room C!”_

The brunette girl shot up on a wispy red cloud and flew across to the bridge and down into the common area, then began to dash to the hallway to the left before being startled by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

“Wanda! Where are you shooting off to now?” the voice called, Wanda turning around to see Steve sitting on one of the common room couches.

“Oh! Steve! I was actually looking for you, I thought you were in a training room,” she said, retracing her steps back over to the couch.

Steve sighed and set down the notebook he was writing in and took off his reading glasses. “I was going to, when I remembered Tony wanted an estimate on what budget to give us, for some reason he doesn't trust us with an unlimited credit card, but he also doesn't want us to starve,” he said jokingly.

Wanda laughed. “I don't see why he wouldn't trust us,” she said sarcastically, sitting down next to the blonde man.

He laughed, then sat back and crossed one leg over the other. “So, why were you looking for me?” he asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Well…” Wanda started, then lowered her voice and leaned in closer to Steve, “I just had a run-in with Vision,” she said.

“This is about your less-than-stellar date, correct?” he asked.

The brunette nodded. “Mhmm, who told you about it?” she asked in return.

“Nat mentioned it after you left breakfast,” Steve said simply, then paused, “she said she never got around to giving you real advice last night,” he said, smirking slightly.

Wanda blushed involuntarily. “Um, yeah, it kind of turned into a general conversation about our love lives,” she said, laughing nervously.

Steve raised an eyebrow, but decided not to pry any further. “So, what happened with Vision yesterday?” he asked.

“Well…yesterday he confessed his love for me in the middle of Starbucks, right? And then today, he corners me on my way to a studio training room and asked if I shared any of his feelings and when I said no, he said he hoped I’d let him know when I was ready for a relationship. Something about it just feels so…creepy! He's a robot that is in love with me that thinks I'm just not ready when I just don't like him!” Wanda said, words rushing out of her mouth.

“Wow. Okay, that's a lot to take in all at once,” Steve said, rubbing his neck.

“Sorry to overload-” Wanda started.

“Oh no! Don't worry about it, Wanda. I just need a moment to process so I give you the right advice-” he said, furrowing his brow, “to start, I think sometime you should make sure the line is clearly drawn. That he knows you just want to be friends and nothing more,” he said thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I didn't get a chance to do that today before I snapped out of my state of shock and he flew away,” she replied meekly.

Steve smiled sympathetically. “That's alright, you can always bring up how he made you uncomfortable today the next time you're alone with him, or one of us is sitting in the back corner as backup,” he added.

“Good plan, that way it's impossible for him to misinterpret anything,” Wanda said, tugging on the hem of her shirt.

“Exactly. Anything else you need help with, or just the Vision problem?” Steve asked, propping his arms up on the back of the couch.

Wanda thought for a moment in silence. “Um, there is another thing…” she began, then paused to think again.

“What might that be?” Steve prompted, leaning closer to her.

“So, uh, the other day, Sam saw me on the bridge and asked me what was wrong. I asked him what he thought was wrong, and he said I looked like I ‘had it bad’ for someone,” she explained.

A knowing and amused smile spread across Steve’s face. “And who might you have certain feelings for?” he asked.

“No one! At least, I don't think there's anyone here I like…” Wanda responded, trailing off.

“No one, not even a little bit, hm?” Steve prompted, acting as if he knew something she didn't.

“I've been through all of this already! You and Rhodes are too old for me, Vision’s too young for me, and I'm pretty sure I don't like Sam,” she rationalized.

“Aren't you forgetting someone?” the blonde man urged, continuing to attempt to direct her thought process.

Wanda thought for a moment. “Oh, Natasha? She's my closest friend here…she's like my mentor, and we're the only girls, so we have a kind of special girl power bond, you know?” she said triumphantly, as if everything she said dismissed what Steve was implying.

“Uh huh…” he said slowly.

“What?” Wanda asked, pouting jokingly.

“Well, you asked for my advice and my advice is that you might want to reconsider your feelings towards…some people,” Steve finished, clasping his hands together.

“That's exactly what Sam said…” Wanda grumbled.

“It must be good advice then,” Steve said, laughing.

Wanda playfully swatted at him. “Hey! Not helping! I've already done the reconsidering thing anyway, it didn't help me figure anything out. I think Sam just misinterpreted something,” she sighed, flopping back onto the couch and sinking down into it.

“Oh yes, he absolutely no basis for saying what he said,” Steve said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Wanda gasped mockingly. “Steven Rogers, I had no idea you were capable of that amount of unwarranted sarcasm,” she said, feigning shock and surprise.

“Oh ho, I don't know if it was that unwarranted when I've seen the way you look at Natasha,” Steve said while laughing, then suddenly going silent when he realized what he’d just said.

Wanda went perfectly still. “The…the way I look at Natasha?” she asked, in real shock now.

“Oh! Gosh, I didn't mean to say that, I'm so sorry, it was just a joke,” Steve apologized hurriedly.

The brunette girl stayed lost in thought for a few moments. “Well, thanks a bunch for taking time out of budgeting to talk to me,” she said, diverting the subject and turning to Steve, smiling broadly.

Steve smiled back. “No problem, come back anytime you need anything, I'm happy to help,” he said, reaching over to hug Wanda. She gratefully accepted, placing her head on his shoulder and appreciating the paternal feeling Steve radiated.

When the moment ended, Wanda stood up. “Good luck with the budget,” she teased.

“Thanks, I'll need all the help I can get,” Steve responded, laughing.

Wanda smiled, then shot herself back up onto the bridge in a red cloud. Steve had helped her greatly with the Vision situation, she had to admit, but now she was plagued by a million other questions.

Questions like ‘do I really like her?’ and ‘is it that obvious?’.


	5. i can't say i'm innocent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's on edge, and a couple of tensions come to a head. Some other stuff happens. I never know what to do for these chapter summaries so. Beep boop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for patiently waiting for this update!! The next is partially written, but I am going on another trip, so it might be another week. Thanks again for still reading this story after all this time!! <3

A few boring days later, Sam and Steve left without a word to anyone, explaining only that they were going on an urgent mission, leaving a simple note on the kitchen table. It wasn't the first time they'd gone on an unexplained excursion together, but it was definitely the first time they had done so with no goodbyes or heads up. There was a cryptic postscript attached saying ‘will call if we need backup’ which kept everyone remaining at the compound on edge.

Rhodes joined the others at breakfast for the first time in ages. Natasha, Wanda, Vision, and him sat around the cozy kitchen table, picking at oatmeal and bacon and offering little conversation. Wanda was keeping her head down to avoid eye contact with a certain pink android, since she hadn't talked to him since their run-in in the hallway the day before. He was gazing at her all throughout their mostly silent breakfast, only taking his eyes off of her when Natasha stared him down over the top of her coffee mug.

“So, what are everyone’s plans for today?” Rhodey asked, trying to break the icy, cold mood present in the room.

“Well, today’s leg day,” Natasha said jokingly.

“I'll be training with her,” Wanda said, nodding her head towards Nat and glancing slightly in Vision’s direction.

“I'm not sure yet,” Vision said simply.

Rhodes nodded. “I'll be patching up some of the broken training dummies, stuff like that keeps me calm. Vision, you can come help me if you want,” he said, sipping his coffee.

Vision nodded. “That sounds nice,” he said thoughtfully, his mind obviously drifting elsewhere. He tried to look up again to Wanda, who stood up suddenly and collected her dishes to carry them to the counter.

“I'm going to get changed, meet you in training room E?” she said to Natasha.

“Absolutely, just give me about ten minutes,” the redhead replied.

Wanda nodded and ran off before Vision could stand up and try to confront her, as he appeared to be about to do.

“I'm heading off, keep the PA system on in every room just in case,” Rhodes said slightly nervously.

Natasha nodded. “We should all be ready to suit up and head out at any moment,” she said.

Rhodes nodded and left the room, leaving Vision and Natasha alone at the kitchen table.

“Hey, can I set something straight?” Nat said to Vision, placing her mug on the table and propping her head up in her hands.

“Yes, what might that be?” he asked in return.

“Leave Wanda alone. Stop being creepy. She doesn't want to date you, be happy with her friendship alone,” Natasha said pointedly.

Vision was left speechless. “Why…why do you say that?” he asked, obviously hurt.

“I'm sorry to be short with you, but she's been positively stressed about the situation. Things like the way you were looking at her across the table are making her uncomfortable, didn't you see that?” Natasha started to explain.

“How much do you know?” Vision asked, becoming even more on edge.

“I know what you told her at the Starbucks and in the hallway a few days ago,” she replied simply.

Vision looked as if he wanted to ask how she knew that, but kept quiet instead. “I understand that she was…overwhelmed by what I said at first, but she seemed understanding and open when I spoke to her afterwards.We haven't spoken since, but she-” he started.

“She told me that she froze in shock and couldn't get a word out before you flew away!” Natasha exclaimed, quickly losing her temper.

“She told you about this?” he asked quietly.

Natasha drew in a sharp breath. “Don't…don't tell her I said that. Or any of this. I'm sorry, I just want to protect her. And this whole situation has had her really distraught lately,” she said, sighing.

Both went completely silent and still for several moments. Vision furrowed his brow. “I…I had no idea I was causing her pain…I'll apologize to her. Thank you for telling me this,” he said, being much more mature than Natasha expected him to be.

Natasha sat back in her chair and downed the rest of her coffee. “Thanks for listening. Sorry I lost my cool,” Nat said simply, smiling weakly across the table.

Vision was about to add something when the PA system clicked on.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Steve’s voice rang out, slightly garbled.

Natasha shot up and clicked the button on the counter to speak to him. “Natasha and Vision are here,” she said.

“Nat, we need you and Wanda. The second jet has the coordinates you need to be at, get there as fast as possible,” he said, breathing heavily.

“Alright, I’ll alert Wanda. We’ll pack and leave ASAP,” she said, then both people clicked off the PA.

Natasha turned to Vision. “Make sure Rhodes knows what’s happening, and stay alert just in case we need you,” she said, then was about to run when the android called back to her.

“Wait,” he croaked.

“Yes?” Natasha asked, stopping and turning back.

“Take care of Wanda,” Vision said.

Natasha only nodded, then sprinted off the find the girl in question.

She reached Wanda’s room in an almost impossibly short amount of time and knocked frantically on the closed door. Wanda swung it open.

“I heard. I'm packing, I'll be ready in five,” she said, trying to mask the worry present on her face.

“Great. I'll meet you at the jet,” Natasha said, about to leave when she stopped and added, “you might want to see Vision before we leave.”

Wanda froze and tilted her head. “Wait, why would you say that?” she asked.

“Just trust me,” Natasha said, smiling right before she dashed off to her own room.

Minutes later, Wanda flew herself down to the kitchen in record time and found Vision, still sitting at the table.

“Vis, why did Nat tell me to come speak to you before we left?” she asked, leaning on the table.

“Well, I…” he started.

“Make it quick, I don’t have time for this,” Wanda snapped.

“I'm sorry for my behavior as of late. If I had known I was causing you stress, I wouldn't have said the things I said. This is all still very new to me,” he explained quickly.

Wanda sighed, then smiled at him. “Thank you. I- I hope I'll be able to be friends again when I get back,” she said.

Vision smiled in return. “Take care and stay safe. And thank Natasha for me,” he said.

“I will,” she said in response to all, then flew off to the quinjet landing pad.

\---

Within minutes, the two women were settled in a quinjet, shooting off to wherever Sam and Steve needed them. They remained in tense silence for a while, Natasha in the driver’s seat and Wanda in the passenger’s within the cockpit. There was always a certain amount of fear that accompanied with unexplained missions, and double that amount of fear when backup had to be brought in.

Natasha eventually set the controls to autopilot once they were out of the Avengers compound safety field that protected and hid them from the outside world. Wanda took the opportunity to break the silence. “Um, Vision told me to thank you. For him,” she said.

Natasha smiled slightly. “Did things work out, then?” she asked, leaning her chair back.

“I think so. I hope so. It seemed like he realized he should stop doing what he's been doing, at least,” Wanda said hopefully, “thank you for saying whatever you said to him. I guess it totally inspired a change of heart on his part,” she added.

Natasha’s smile widened. “No problem, if anything else happens later, just let me know,” she said, jokingly cracking her knuckles.

Wanda laughed. “Okay, maybe don't try to beat him up next time though! You might get more hurt than he would,” she said, slightly concerned but also amused.

“What?! You think he would beat me in a fight?” Natasha gasped with mock indignanance.

“No no! I don't know, he- he just has the mind stone and he's top Stark tech,” Wanda attempted to explain.

“Aww, well I'm glad you care about my safety that much- but just dunk him in a pond! Problem solved!” Natasha said, cackling.

“Oh my god, that's horrible!” Wanda said, but joined the other woman in laughing anyway.

“You're thinking about it right now, aren't you? He hits on you in some fucking weird, poetic way, I sneak up behind him and flip him into a body of water, and the last thing we hear is the sound Windows computers make when they shut down,” Natasha said, grinning.

Wanda snorted. “I can't believe you,” she said, shaking her head.

An alert from the communication system interrupted them, to which Natasha clicked a button to accept the call.

“Hey, so you guys are a minimum of about three hours away, and we have a moment right now. Ready for a briefing on the case?” Steve asked in a hushed voice.

“Absolutely,” both of the women said at the same time, looking to each other and smiling at their synchronization.

“Okay, so you're en route to Berlin. An underground Hydra base just made themselves public and is plotting to gain foot soldiers by using a new mind control technology on a small German village, alright,” he started, “I can explain more fully in person, but we need Wanda to fight the effects of the mind control and Natasha, you’ll help evacuate the town. When that's done, you can both come help me and Sam secure the base,” Steve concluded.

“How are you two staying immune from the mind control?” Nat asked, concerned.

“Gas masks. It's spread with micro particles in an invisible gas, and the particles die outside of their specialized container if they don't find a host within a minute or so,” Steve explained.

“Wow, sounds like Hydra’s first feasible plan in years,” Natasha said humorously.

Steve snorted. “Unfortunately, yes. So, there's masks on the ship, make sure they're secure before you step out once you get here. The coordinates are sending you to right outside the town so you might have a little time, but not much,” he explained, then after a few seconds, added, “I gotta go. Make sure you wear your earpieces so you can tell us when you get here,” he concluded, then clicked off the com link.

Wanda sighed. “Well…that sounds like a tough situation,” she said.

“Definitely. It'll be fine though, when have we lost to these goons?” Nat responded, standing up, “since autopilot is on, I'm gonna go sort out the mask situation,” she said, inclining her head toward the back of the ship.

“I'll come with you,” Wanda said simply, standing up as well. Natasha gave a small smile and began to led the way through the ship.

The pair reached the tiny supply cabinet and started digging through it to find the promised masks that would save them a lot of trouble later in the mission. They pushed past several layers of random objects, including but not limited to latex gloves, several pairs of sunglasses, and a small silver tiara, confusing both women who were searching.

“Do you think Tony wears the tiara when he's sad and wants to feel like he's a Disney princess?” Natasha asked as she yanked it out of the cabinet.

Wanda laughed. “I'll choose to believe that since I have…no idea who else would use it or what else it would be used for,” she replied.

“Hm, I wonder where…ah! Protective masks right here,” Nat said, triumphantly pulling out a case plastered with safety labels.

“Yay! I've had one too many run ins with Hydra- I'm kind of terrified of this mission,” Wanda suddenly admitted.

Natasha set the case down on a ledge then stopped. “What are you scared of?” she asked, turning to face Wanda.

“I mean…last time I was under their control, it was a willing submission. I chose to be their lab rat and-” she started, then produced a small red ball of energy, “this happened. And Pietro- he lost everything because of them. I lost half of myself,” Wanda concluded, spiraling suddenly.

“Here, why don't you sit down for a second?” Natasha suggested after seeing Wanda deteriorating right in front of her, placing a hand on her arm. The other woman nodded silently and followed her to chairs situated near the middle of the ship.

“I'm so sorry you have to go back there. I know what's it's like to have to face the people that tore you apart and put you back together. Made you what you are today,” Nat said, sitting once Wanda was comfortable and keeping a comforting hand on the other girl’s knee.

Wanda gazed at the floor, a lone tear beginning to make its way down her cheek. “I can't go there! It might not be the same base, but it's the same damn people. The same damn killers and monsters that made me a killer and a monster,” she said, hauntingly.

“Shhh, you're not a monster. You're not a killer, promise,” Natasha started in a soothing voice.

“But I have killed. That makes me a killer,” Wanda said.

“Shhh, shhh, no, listen to me. What people did to you is not your fault. Whatever happened to you at Hydra’s hands is not your fault. Killing when absolutely necessary does not make you a killer. I had a lot of bad things happen to me, and I've killed more than you could even imagine. I know what it's like to go through what you're going through. It sucks. It sucks a lot, and I wish I could tell you how to deal with it, but it's different for every person,” Nat said.

Wanda took deep breaths trying to steady herself, on the brink of a breakdown. “I can't do this, Nat. I can't go face more of them. I might- I might make a mistake. I might hurt…innocent people,” she said, stammering.

Natasha thought for a moment. “That's always a risk, I'm not gonna lie. But we're going to evacuate everyone before facing the bad guys, okay? We're gonna make sure everyone is safe,” she said, rubbing Wanda’s knee and trying to look her in the eye.

Wanda met her gaze. “No one is safe when I'm around,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“Oh, Wanda, don't say that. Don't worry about that now, okay? You're not dangerous. You're not going to hurt anyone you don't want to,” Natasha said, leaning in to embrace the brunette.

“I'm sorry I started breaking down. I didn't mean to,” Wanda said, hesitantly returning the embrace, while still cracking.

“Aw sweetheart, there's nothing to apologize for. We're all human, we all have emotions. You can be upset about having to face Hydra again. You can be upset about what they did to you. But just remember that it doesn't define you,” Natasha said fiercely, embracing Wanda more tightly.

  
Wanda stayed silent and simply hugged Natasha in return, letting her tears flow freely. 


End file.
